Whitman at Work: Hollywood Accountant David Altman

 
Accountant to the stars is a real job, and it can be a lot of fun. Just ask David Altman ’99.

He is a certified public accountant and partner at bicoastal accounting firm Altman, Greenfield & Selvaggi. Altman helps clients in the entertainment industry with everything from filing their tax returns to buying cars and houses.

Altman doesn’t name drop, but the firm is regularly named to lists of top Hollywood advisors, with clients including many well-known TV and film stars.

Altman says the job really can be as glamorous as it sounds, though not always. At the time of the interview for this article, he was on hold with the Internal Revenue Service and had been for several hours. “There’s a lot of stuff we do behind the scenes, but at the end of the day, if you’re going to do accounting, it’s a fun type of accounting to do,” he says.

Brought Up in the Industry

Accounting for the entertainment industry is a family business. Altman’s father, Abe Altman, founded the firm where Altman is now a partner. “There are still clients now that… I knew as a little kid growing up,” Altman says. “It’s fun to see that, too. You know, I was kind of brought up in the industry.”

Altman fell in love with Syracuse when he visited campus. He enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences but quickly realized he was interested in a business-related major. During the summers, the future Hollywood accountant worked both at major accounting firms and the William Morris talent agency.

After graduation, Altman began working as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He enjoyed the work, but as someone who enjoys social interaction, he began to notice that “a lot of people I was dealing with didn’t want to deal with an auditor. I didn’t love that because I really want my clients to want to deal with me and to hear my expertise and hear what I have to say and my guidance, not where I’m a burden to them.”

Altman left PwC and began working for his father’s firm in New York City. A few years later, a position opened up in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Altman took the chance on moving cross-country to start a new chapter in his career, and he’s been there ever since.

More Than Just Tax Returns

Although Altman repeatedly uses the word fun to describe his job, another concept also frequently comes up: work ethic. He appreciated that his experience with PwC instilled it in him early in his career, and he recognizes that his job today can be quite demanding.

Altman’s daily work goes well beyond bookkeeping, touching on nearly every aspect of his clients’ financial lives. When they want to purchase cars or homes, he helps not only with the dollars and cents but also ensuring that they have trustworthy brokers, insurance policies and more. Although junior colleagues are now responsible for preparing client tax returns, he reviews every return before it is filed. He also manages the Los Angeles office, which has grown from approximately 15 employees when he started to about 50.

Even with A-listers on the client roster, Altman prides himself on treating each client with respect. “Nobody is more important than anybody else is,” he says. “I want all my clients to feel like they’re my only client.”

Altman says one of the most rewarding things about his job is seeing the growth and evolution of his clients’ careers. “Usually clients come in when they’re at a point of their career where they need somebody like us—whatever their big break is—they got a big film, they got a TV show that got picked up, whatever it is, and they’re ready to take that next step,” he says, noting that many clients are still relatively unknown at that point. “You’re with a lot of them from their start and all of a sudden, they’re winning awards…and it’s fun.”

By Suzi Morales